Roofing element with thickened butt edges and method of making the same



. June 3, 1930. L KIRSCH BRAUN 1,760,873 ROOFING ELEMENT WITH THICKENEDT EDGES I AND M OD MAKIN HE E i ed y 31 26 r \r w I l i VIII/I lInk/adv)":

' ZEeZerfiZrwizZr i I I I 7 Patented June 3, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE LESTER KIRSCHBRAUN, OF LEONIA, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO THE PATENT AND LICENSING CORPORATION, OF BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS, A

CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS ROOFING ELEMENT WITH THICKENED BUTT .ECDGESAND METHOD OF- MAKING- THE SAME Y Application filed July 31, 1926.'Serial No. 126,279.

This invention relates to fabricated roof ing elements and has specialreference to elements formed with a relatively narrow bead or line ofextra thickness adjacent to the butt edge thereof.

Roofing of the type referred to is customarily made of felted fibroussheet material composed of rag or asbestos fiber or the like, feltedtogether on a paper-making machine. This fibrous sheet material issomewhat loose and porous in structure so as to be capable of taking upa considerable quantity of liquid saturant. Suitable waterproofiingmaterial, such as low melting-point asphalt, pitch or the like, is usedto impregnate the fibrous sheet, after which it is coated with highmelting-point asphalt to provide an impervious protecting layer whichwill be thoroughly waterproof and will not run or flow under the heat ofthe sun when laid on the roof. The asphalt coating Where exposed to theweather is usually protected by a layer of mineral granular materialsuch as crushed slate, tile, brick, or the like, which is applied to theasphalt coating While the latter is still hot and sticky. Enough of thegranular material is pressed into and partially em bedded in the asphaltcoating to cover the same completely and to protect it from the directaction of the Weather. From sheet material thus prepared byimpregnating, coating and slatmg, as described, individual roofingelements of any desired shape and size are cut. Elements so prepared,however,

are of relatively thin unsubstantial appearance when laid on a roof, andit has been found that if the butt edges, which are the most conspicuouspart of the laid element to the observer, are suitably thickened, theresult is a very marked improvement in the general appearance of theroof. The thickening of the butt edge portions of the element alsoserves to stiffen the exposed portions of the shingle and to preventwarping and curling of the corners of shingle-simulating tabs which arefound in many of the more popular types of strip shingles. Roofingelements cut from a sheet of prepared roofing, as described, are alsosubject to a serious defect due to the cut edges which result from theoperation of cutting the sheet into the individual elements. These cutedges leave out ends of fibers exposed to the weather alongthe butt edgeof the roofing element when laid and providea means for the absorptionof atmospheric moisture by the fibers of the felt ltee of the roofingelement. The absorption of moisture into the roofing element in this wayand the evaporation of moisture therefrom in dry weather, together withother effects of the weather, result in a tendency on the part of thefelt base to sponge and of the exposed portions of the roofing elementto warp and curl, thus reducing the weatherproofing quality of the-roofas a whole and shortening the life of the individual elements. Thus inapplying material to the edge portion of a roofing element to thickenthe same, it is advantageous to coat the butt edge itself as well as theedges of the slots which may have been cut in the element to defineshinglesimulating tabs. By my invention, I provide a method foraccomplishing these desirable "results, that is, for sealing the cutedges of the element which are to be exposed to the weather andpositively forming a bead on the under side of the portions adjacent tothe cut edges which will both stiffen these edges and add materially tothe appearance of the roof as a whole when laid.

The invention can be better understood by reference to the drawing, ofwhich Figure 1 is a. diagrammatic elevation of one form of apparatus forapplying a coating of asphalt to the exposed surface and edges of astrip shingle in such a way that a narrow bead will be formed on thereverse side adjacent to the butt edge.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same. Figure 3 is a view of aplurality of strip shingles so treated, showing their appearance whenlaid on a roof.

Figure 4 is a View of the under side of a strip shingle of slightlydifferent shape show-- Figure 7 is a vertical section of a strip shinglewhich has been coated on its exposed surface and edges and has beenprovided with a bead on the portion adjacent the butt edge.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view of an-- other apparatus for coating andbeading roofing elements. 1

Referring to the drawings in detail, Figures 1 and 2 show a spout ornozzle 10 which is suitably shaped to supply a vertically elongated jetof molten asphalt against the butt portion of the upper face of a stripshingle 11 which is suspended vertically as by suitable clamps'12 andconveyed in an endwise direction past the spout 10. The strip 11 may bea saturated felt blank out to shape, or it may be a roofing element cutfrom a sheet of coated and slated roofing such as is frequently put onthe market as a finished product. Beneath the path of the strip shingle11 is located a member 13 having a channel 14 formed in the top thereofand extending in the direction of motion of the strip shingle. Themember 13 is so arranged that the butt edge portion of the strip shinglewill travel therein as the shingle is progressed. Excess asphalt fromthe spout 10 will flow down into the channel 14 and keep it filled sothat the asphalt therein will adhere to the reverse or under face ofthestrip shingle adjacent to the butt edge and will thus form a headthereon beside coating the butt edge itself. The designation of thefaces of the shingle as upper and under has reference to the shingle aslaid on a roof. It 'is obvious that the jet from the spout 10 willproject through the cut-outs 15 of the strip, whatever shape thesecut-outs may be, and will coat the cut edges thereof so that in this waythe exposed portion of the upper face and the exposed cu't edges willall be completely coated with a continuous layer of asphalt and a headwill be formed on the portion of the under face of the shingle adjacentto the butt edge. If the strips which are being coated are formed withrectangular tabs having vertical side edges as that shown in Figure 5),some of the asphalt which is projected through the slots in the stripwill creep around the edges to the rear face as it trickles down andwill form beads adj acent to these edges on tlierear face of the strip.In order to maintain the asphalt which collects in the channel 14: influid condition, the member 13 may be kept heated asby a steam pipe 16or other suitable means. The spout may be adjusted vertically toregulate the upper limit of the coating applied thereby on the face ofthe shingle strip. If the latter has been cut from a coated and slatedsheet, it is preferable to put the additional face coating only on theexposed portion of the face, that is, to such a height on the strip thatthe upper limit of the extra coating will be approximately in line withthe butt edges of the strips in the course laid next above on thereof.In the case of certain shapes of strips, as for example that shown inFigure 3, small portions of the strip will appear through the cut-outsabove the butt-edge line v 10. Instead of a channeled block forreceiving the butt edge of the shingle, I provide in this case a seriesof pairs of rolls 17, 18 supported over a suitable container in angularrelation to each other. The strip shingle 11 is preferably supported insuch a way that its butt edgerides on the rollers 17 while a narrowportion of the reverse side of the strip adjacent the butt edge contactswith the rollers 18. The rollers 18 are preferably mounted foradjustment transversely of the container 19, this adjustment being forthe purpose of regulating the Width of the bead of asphalt applied tothe rear face adjacent to the butt edge. The asphalt from the nozzle 10is directed against a portionof the surface of the strip shingle, theexcess asphalt flowing downwardly and being distributed over the rollers17, 18 or being caught by the container 19 beneath. The rollers may bekept heated to prevent the congealing of asphalt thereon by any suitablemeans. i

This can be easily accomplished by arranging them to be partiallyimmersed in the hot asphalt held by the container 19, the latter beingsupplied with steam pipes or equivalent heating m'eansl This apparatusproduces the same result as that shown in Figures 1 and 2, namely, acoating on the exposed portion of the front face of the strip shingle,on the exposed cut edges, and on the portion adjacent to the butt edges.

Another form of apparatus is illustrated in Figure 8. This comprisesessentially a series of clamps 20 carried by a conveyor 21 and adaptedto support strip shingles 11 vertically for motion in a directionperpendicular to their planes. In the path of the strip shingle islocated a coating roll 22 which may dip directly into a supply of moltenasphalt in a container 23 or may be fed therefrom as by a feed roll 24.The'rolls 22 and 24 are preferably geared together and are positivelydriven by suitable driving connections (not shown). Where coatingasphalt is applied to strip shingles by a roll as in this case, it isdesirable to pre-heat the shingles to insure a firm adhesion of thecoating thereto. This may be done by any desired means such as anoven,through which the shingle may be carried by the conveyor. As eachshingle strip is brought into Contact with the coating roll 22, it isallowed to swing to a tilted position as it is dragged over the surfaceof the roll, the clamps 20 being swingably mounted to allow free tiltingmotion of the strip shingles. The roll 22 is preferably driven in thedirection of the conveyor at a peripheral speed somewhat greater thanthe linear speed of the conveyor 21, this resulting in a heaping up ofcoating material, as at 25, against the edges of the butt and cutouts asthe shingle rides over the uppermost portion of the roll 22. The heapedup asphalt flows over the portions of the rear face of the shingleadjacent to the butt edges and the edges along the cut-outs, thusforming a bead 26 on those portions as indicated in Figure 7. It is tobe understood that the element or shingle 11 shown in this figure mayhave been cut from a sheet of finished roofing material, i. e., roofingfelt which has been saturated, coated and slated in a manner well knownin the art. The various layers of material making up the sheet fromwhich the element 11 is out are not indicated in Figure 7, the objectbeing to avoid confusion of detail. This results in a face coating 27 ofasphalt on the forward face of the strip shingle and also in a thoroughcoating all over the cut edges of the butt and cut-out portions. I

It will be noted that this form of apparatus is capable of coating anydesired amount of the exposed face of the roofing element and also offorming a bead on the reverse face not only along the lower butt edge,but also along the edges of the cut-outs regardless of the shape of thelatter. In the form of strip shingle shown in Figure 4:, for example,the forms of apparatus illustrated in Figures 1 and 5 would not becapable of forming the'complete head 26 adjacent to all the edges of thebutt portion and cut-outs of the shingle, but would simply coat thefront face and the edges themselves. In the case of a shingle stripformed with rectangular tabs as illustrated in Figure 5, however, theapparatus shown in Figure 5 will not only positively deposit a beadalong the butt edge of the shingle, but a bead will also be formed partway upthe side edges of the cut-outs by some of the asphalt which isprojected through theslots from a spout 10 and creeps around thevertical edges of the cut-outs.

The face coating 27, the edge coating and the head 26 are preferablysurfaced with comminuted material, such as crushed slate or the like, toprotect the coating from the action of the weather. The surfacingmaterial is applied while the asphalt is hot and sticl and is pressedinto the asphalt so that the particles are partially embedded thereinand are firmly held in place. The surfacing step,

as well as the application of the asphalt, may be performed by hand, orsuitable mechanism may be provided for that purpose.

I am aware that strip shingles have heretofore been formed by applying asealing coat over the exposed areas of the front face and over acorresponding area of the rear face as well as the cut edges. The stripshingle produced by my invention as described hereinbefore has theadvantage of lighter weight, while affording the same appearance ofthickness on'the roof and the same amount of protection. The tabs alsotend to lie closely against the course below since the weight of thetabs rests upon the narrow beads adjacent the butt edges. -Roofing.elements of this type also effect a considerable saving in coatingasphalt without reducing the protec tive qualities of the shingle. It isobvious that this invention can be applied to roofing elements of thesingle or'multiple type of practically any shape, a few forms of thestrip shingle type being illustrated in the drawing by way of example.

I am aware also that strip shingles have been re'coated on a face oftheir butt portions in such a way that the coating material has beenallowed to run over the cut edges of the butt portion and 'to work underthe edges to some extent. Such effects heretofore have been purelyadventitious and no means have been disclosed for insuring the formationof a continuous bead along the portions of the back face of the elementadjacent to all the edges of the butt and cut-outs. By my invention, Iprovide such means for positively extending the extra coating on thefront face to form a bead on the back face adjacent to the edges,thereby giving the maximum thickness at the butt edge.

Having thus described an embodiment of my invention, it should beevident to those skilled in the art that many changes and modificationsmay be made therein without departing from its spirit or scope asdefinedby the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Steps in the manufacture of roofing elements, which comprise applyinga waterproofing coat to the exposed portion of the up per faceof aroofing element, and extending said coat to cover the exposed edges ofthe element and to form a narrow marginal area of coating on the underface thereof adjacent the butt edges. I

2. Steps in the manufacture of roofing elements, which comprise applyinga coating of waterproofing material to .the exposed portion of the upperface of a roofing element, extending said coating to cover all exposededges of the element and to form a narrow y marginal area of coating onthe under face of the element adjacent to the butt edges, and surfacingsaid coating with grit.

3. Steps in the manufacture of roofing elements, which comprise applyinga coating of i waterproofing material to the exposed portion of theupper face of a roofing element, extending said coating to cover allexposed edges of the element and to form a narrow marginal area ofcoating on the under face of the element extending continuously alongall said edges and adjacent thereto, and surfacing said coating withgrit.

4. A roofing element having a coating of waterproofing material coveringthe exposed portion of the upper face of the element and the adjacentedges of the element and forming a continuous narrow marginal area ofcoating on the under face of the element adjacent to said edges, and asurfacing of grit adhering to said coating.

5. Steps in the manufacture of strip shingles having slots extendingupwardly from their butt edges, comprising applyinga coat ofwaterproofing material to the exposed portion of the upper face of astrip shingle, and.

extending the coating material over all the edges of said exposedportion, including the butt edges, the edges of the slots, andtheexposed end edges, and forming with said coating a narrow marginal layerextending 'on the under face of the shilwle continuously along andadjacent to all said coated edges.

6. A strip shingle with slots extending upwardly from the butt edgethereof to define tabs, said shingle having a coating of waterproofingmaterial covering the exposed portion of the upper face thereof andextending over all the edges bounding said exposed portion, said coatingalso forming a narrow marginal layer on the under face of the shingleextending continuously along and adjacent to the coated edges.

7. Steps in the manufacture of a roofing element, which comprise forminga film of molten coating material, bringing one face of a cut-outroofing unit in contact with said film and heaping coating materialalong the butt edges of the unit and upon the opposite face of the unitalong the butt edges thereof.

8. Steps in the manufacture of a roofing element, which comprise forminga film of molten coating material, bringing one face of a cut-outroofing unit in contact with said film and causing said film to moverelatively to said unit in a direction from the butt edge of the unittoward the head thereof, whereby a portion of said film is heapedagainst the butt edges of the unit and on marginal portions of the unitadjacent to the butt edges.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

LESTER KIRSOHBRAUN.

